National Treasures

Japan maintains several hierarchies or systems of designating objects, structures, and sites as being of cultural or historical importance. Those considered to be of the greatest importance are dubbed National Treasures. National Treasures cannot be exported, and are only loaned overseas on very rare occasions.

A select few individuals considered to be of exceptional prominence or importance in maintaining cultural traditions are named Living National Treasures.

History

The system was established in 1884, in the Meiji period, in conjunction with efforts to create a systematized set of "national" traditions, and a national narrative of Japan's history, comparable to those possessed by "modern" nation-states in the West. The first object to be designated a National Treasure was a 7th century wooden Buddha statue held at Kôryû-ji in Kyoto.[1]

The Japanese government, which held Korea as a colony from 1910-1945, also compiled a list of "National Treasures of Korea." The Republic of Korea (aka South Korea) today retains that list, with numerous post-independence additions.

Up until 1932, the only buildings that could be designated National Treasures were Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.[2] This was then modified to allow Japanese castles and other sites of historical importance to be added to the category.

Many National Treasures were sadly damaged or destroyed by Allied bombing, or otherwise, during World War II. Prior to that, there were 1,058 sites in Japan designated as National Treasures, incorporating 1,729 buildings.[3]

New legislation in 1950 divided the category of National Treasures into National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, a prestigious but lower-ranking category.

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References

Gallery labels and explanatory plaques at various sites.

↑This sculpture has traditionally been identified as a depiction of Maitreya (J: Miroku), but today many scholars suggest that the identity of the figure is unclear. Conrad Schirokauer, et al, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization, Wadsworth Cengage (2013), 29.

↑Despite the name, this grouping of National Treasures does not include written or published documents, but rather objects of decorative arts and practical use. You can see all the objects on the museum's Digital Museum page.